Naruto: I am Nara Shikamaru

"Am I… dead?"

In the endless darkness, Shikamaru's consciousness murmured to itself.

"Aww~ I went through so much trouble to bring you here, how could I let you die?"

As soon as Shikamaru finished speaking, a lazy-sounding voice echoed into his awareness.

"Who's there? You brought me here?"

Shikamaru leapt up, instantly on alert as he scanned the surrounding darkness. Suddenly, a shimmer of light approached from the distance. Shikamaru froze, this scene felt oddly familiar.

And when he saw the figure within the light, his jaw dropped in shock.

"Surprised?" The figure spoke lazily, still carrying that familiar, unbothered tone.

"Shikamaru…?"

Shikamaru's voice trembled. He stared in disbelief at the figure before him, himself. It was the original Shikamaru, the true owner of this body.

Shikamaru had always believed he had fully fused with this body's soul. Yet clearly, the original Shikamaru still existed. Then… what exactly had he merged with? If not the soul, then why was his mental strength so immense?

(For clarity going forward: the protagonist will temporarily revert to his past-life name, Ethan. "Shikamaru" refers to the original soul.)

"Ethan, right? The guy who's been using my body for the past six years." Shikamaru said calmly, dropping a bombshell with casual ease.

"What? How do you know that name?" Ethan's expression changed drastically. Even though he had nearly forgotten that name, how could Shikamaru possibly know it?

"Heh, no need to freak out. I'm not here to take my body back. It's just that…"

Seeing the concern in Ethan's eyes, Shikamaru spoke again.

"Just what?" Ethan quickly asked, finally letting out a breath of relief. Shikamaru's words had reassured him.

As Shikamaru explained, Ethan finally understood the truth: after transmigrating and taking over Shikamaru's body, he had only fused with Shikamaru's memories, not his soul. His powerful spiritual energy came from the mutation caused by transmigration itself.

Since then, Shikamaru had remained dormant within his own body, a silent observer. He could see everything Ethan did with his body, yet was powerless to move or speak. While Ethan slept, Shikamaru had slowly pieced together everything about him. And when he realized this world was based on a manga called Naruto, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Eventually, Shikamaru admitted: he didn't want to keep watching from the sidelines forever. Still, he had no interest in reclaiming his body either. The idea of facing villains like the Akatsuki, Madara, or Orochimaru just sounded exhausting. That was when Shikamaru noticed the Star.

He discovered that the Star contained an immense reservoir of energy. The shinobi of the Hidden Star Village merely refined chakra by absorbing the Star's leaking energy, a fraction of its full power.

Then, Shikamaru triggered the Star's core energy. How? He didn't say. But he brought Ethan into this mental space for one reason: to finally complete what they had left undone six years ago, to fuse their souls.

At first, Ethan had been stunned by the idea. But Shikamaru simply said he was too lazy to bother with control, fusion was easier. That way, he could stop being a silent spectator.

"What about all that Star energy? Can this body even handle it?"

Ethan still had concerns.

"Heh. Before? No. But after fusing with my soul, it definitely can." Shikamaru grinned. 

"Besides, didn't you always want your own unique kekkei genkai? Well, with my soul fused and the Star's energy, you'll finally get one."

"Seriously?" Ethan's eyes lit up with excitement.

"Absolutely. And not only that, our chakra reserves will skyrocket. No, we won't have as much as the Nine-Tails, but we'll be comparable to a Tailed Beast."

Shikamaru dropped yet another pleasant surprise.

"Come on. Let's fuse."

With that final invitation, Shikamaru spoke no more…

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Back in the cave, Shikamaru slowly opened his eyes. A subtle wave of energy rippled outward as he stood, his body pulsing with overwhelming power. For a long moment, he was speechless.

His eyes… were no longer ordinary. 

Now they were an eerie pair of black pupils tinged with violet, three tomoe spinning faintly around the iris, much like the Sharingan, but darker, more shadowy, with a unique glow.

"I can copy any jutsu with the form… I'll call it Shadow Eye." Shikamaru murmured with a grin. And for some reason, he also felt… sharper. His mind felt clearer than ever.

As far as he could tell, the Shadow Eye could replicate any ninjutsu with a visible form, copying the shadow of the technique. The recreated version, when cast, would possess equivalent power but be infused with dark energy. For example, if someone used a Fireball Jutsu, Shikamaru could recreate it as a Shadow Fireball, a jet-black inferno.

However, jutsu without shadows, like Earth-Style: Mud River, couldn't be copied. Then again… how many ninjutsu truly had no shadow?

Turning to see Natsuhi unconscious beside him, Shikamaru quickly checked on her. Thankfully, she was merely chakra-depleted and would recover with rest.

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A/N: If you're enjoying the story, you can read up to Chapter 54 (28+ chapters ahead of the current one) on my Patreon: patreon.com/vynthor